Residents and businesses in Great Bridge, along Market Place, are dealing with a recurring problem: sewer overflows. The problem has been ongoing, according to some residents who have called their local water and waste utility companies to no avail.

Residents claim that the overflows are so serious that they caused waste water to enter showers and sinks.

Waste water entering food can lead to sickness. The overflow problem has resulted in engineers coming out to the site to clean up the mess. Residents claim that engineers are not doing enough to correct the overflow problems. They claim that engineers are cleaning the mess up, but not remedying the cause of the overflow.

Residents claim the issue has occurred a half-dozen times over a full 12-month period when waste water started to impact their lives. The water contains human waste, making residents flee their homes to take showers or go to the bathroom. The waste water will come back up through toilets and shower. Washing machines are also being flooded with the human waste.

The Great Bridge Eye Care Centre claims that they’ve lost business because of the sewer problem.

Customers can smell the sewage immediately when walking into the business. The problem is so severe that the business has had to close on many occasions because the sewage smell in the shop has been unbearable.

Seven Trent Water is responsible for the problem, but has been slow to deal with it. The utility has sent out work crews that tried everything, from hydrojetting to snaking lines to clear the problem. Engineers claim that there’s nothing they can do to clear the drains.

Fats, poured down the drain, are being blamed for the sewage overflows.

Liquid fats and oils are routinely being poured down drains or in toilets. The fats, liquid at the time of disposal, harden inside of the pipes and are difficult to remove. Amey, a partner for Severn Trent, was dispatched to help unclog the sewer system

Amey claims that their workers were able to remove the majority of the blockage, which should help to alleviate sewer overflows in the future.

Severn Trent denies these claims and states that they’ve only been called out twice in the past two years to clean up sewage in the area. Most recently, the sewer backups caused sewage to overflow out of manhole covers.

The problem is not just in Great Bridge. Cities across the world are dealing with aging sewer systems. Buffalo recently dealt with sewage escaping through manholes after snow melt caused the sewer systems to overflow with human waste.

Severn Trent puts part of the blame on residents. Engineers that were dispatched to clear the main pipe causing the problem claim that residents need to stop disposing of their fat and oil in sinks. The utility company recommends that residents place fats and oils in the bin.

Gunk pots are also available that allow residents to get rid of their waste properly.

Residents are asking Severn Trent to come up with a permanent solution to stop wastewater from disrupting daily life on the street.